Va. deputy dies during training workout

A Spotsylvania County deputy died Monday after collapsing during a morning workout

By Portsia Smith
The Free Lance-Star

(Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office Image)

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — A Spotsylvania County deputy died Monday after collapsing during a morning workout.

Bryan Berger, 34, was a recruit at the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy and was participating in physical fitness training with his classmates that morning, said Mike Harvey, executive director of the academy.

At approximately 8:20 a.m., Berger began experiencing shortness of breath during a calisthenics exercise, Harvey said.

"He was immediately taken to the side and monitored by instructors and staff as emergency medical services were summoned," Harvey said. "Recruit Berger remained alert and he was speaking with the instructors and staff."

When emergency personnel arrived, Berger collapsed and lost consciousness. He was transported to Mary Washington Hospital, where he later died.

"The members of the academy are deeply saddened by this sudden and tragic loss and our thoughts go out to the family of recruit Berger, the fellow recruits of Law Enforcement Basic Class 130, and the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office," Harvey said.

Capt. Jeff Pearce of the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office said Berger was assigned to the courts division of the Sheriff's Office.

Prior to becoming a deputy, he had worked as a Spotsylvania dispatcher and was a volunteer for the Spotsylvania County Rescue Squad, Pearce said.

Berger and his wife, Heidi, had been married for three years. They had no children, Pearce said.

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office is handling the line-of-duty death investigation and helping plan funeral arrangements.